As the cost of mobile devices such as camera phones and global positioning system (GPS) devices continues to come down, there is an increasing number of these devices being used for everyday purposes. For instance, it is becoming more common for people to have at least one device capable of displaying maps and generating driving directions for a specific location. In addition to purchasing physical maps, many users generate maps and driving directions on their home computers and print out this information. Further, users are increasingly utilizing mobile devices to obtain this information in real time. There are disadvantages to each of these approaches in different situations.
For example, a user viewing information on a home computer can look up specific addresses, information about an area, etc., and can use this information to generate maps, routes, etc. The user can also utilize this information to write on or markup physical maps, as may be obtained from any of a variety of sources. Once the user is away from the computer, however, the user has no ability to look up addresses or additional points of interest, and cannot utilize real time features of mobile devices, such as the ability to obtain real-time driving directions. Physical maps still have benefits at such times, however, as a map can be as large and detailed as necessary and can provide a user with a good overview of a location in any direction.
Alternatively, mobile devices such as GPS devices can provide real-time information and can provide maps of local areas, but often do not have the ability to look up addresses of various locations. Without an address, it can be difficult if not impossible to generate accurate directions to a location, or obtain information about that location. Devices such as smart phones can allow users to search for information using Internet-based or similar technologies, but such a process can be time consuming and may not yield the desired results. In cases where a user is in the woods or an amusement park, for example, there might not be an address associated with the intended destination. Further, maps displayed on a mobile device typically are limited by screen size and resolution, such that a user can have difficulty obtaining the desired information without significant effort in scrolling through different screens, zooming at various locations, etc. Most electronic devices also are unable to store information such as comments and annotations on the electronic maps themselves, or store the comments and annotations for subsequent retrieval.